Check this out! The current Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of “Joe Average Anywhere” is about 100. According to Woodley as cited by Thomas, over the past few hundred years humanity has been losing about 1.23 IQ points per decade. I’m no math whiz, but that’s pretty alarming. So, as I thought about this, I decided to extrapolate this number back into history. So, this thought process and calculation is based on the numbers I just mentioned. This sort of Intelligence Quotient Whimsy is whimsical and true at the same time.
The Genius of our Forefathers
This decline in IQ has probably gradually increased over time, but check this out. Noah stepped off the ship he constructed about 4,500 years ago, that’s 450 decades. I believe the Bible so I also believe this 450-decade time period is true and accurate. So, 450 divided by 1.23 equals just under 366, so 450 minus 366 equals 84 IQ points gained as I deduce backward in time. So, even if Noah was Joe Average in intellect, he would still have had an IQ of about 184. Knowing that Genius starts at about 140-145, Noah was way beyond just a plain genius. Hence, Noah was a super genius. Not the “Wile E. Coyote” kind of super genius, I mean the Albert Einstein type of super genius.
Room for Error in My Calculation
Now, I assume that as genetic errors entered into our genome gradually over time, the decline of 1.23 IQ points per decade probably didn’t start until people started living lives of less than 100 years. That would still make Noah a genius, because the longevity of the patriarchs listed in the Bible started to end about the time of Abram, about 4,000 years ago. So, Noah would still be a super genius.
Our Forefathers Were Much Smarter Than Us
Remember this Intelligence Quotient Whimsey is just whimsical speculation and not very scientific, because I don’t have access to IQ tests from 4,000-4,500 years ago. All I’m saying is that our forefathers were much smarter than we are, and as our children and grandchildren loose 1.23 IQ points per decade or more, as more genetic errors creep into our genome. We will never be the super geniuses that the evolutionists envision us becoming over vast periods of time. So Adam, the first human, was probably the smartest human that has ever existed at an IQ well over 200, on our current scale.
Vast Storehouses of Information
We humans, seem smarter and have more advanced technology, not because we are smarter, but because we have access to more information. Books, magazines, the internet, computers, smartphones, etc. give us unprecedented access to information. So, we build on other people’s thoughts ideas and documented achievements, giving us a leg-up for any project we embark on. Evolutionists claim our ancestors were of limited intelligence and brutish. Well, they’re wrong. Our ancestors were brilliant compared to us. Consequently, we just have better access to information.
I Worry About Our Children
Pray that the Lord comes back before our progeny lose so much brain power that they have trouble tying their shoes. I’m not kidding. I’ve heard horror stories about people in fast food restaurants that can’t count back change unless a machine calculates it for them. Furthermore, anyone can research the decline of standard test scores over the past several years. Our children are no longer relying on their own minds. But instead rely on the information they are being spoon-fed in school and via various Media.
Average Reading Levels
The average avid reader is comfortable and has the best comprehension at about a 7th – 8th-grade reading level. According to Walsh & Volsko (2008), currently the average American reads at a 7th-grade reading level, as well as, according to the Huffington Post (2012), the average high school student in the United States reads at a 5th-grade reading level. Again, that’s the average. There is exceptions, both positive and negative. So we, as a species, are not getting smarter.
Intelligence Quotient Whimsy
This Intelligence Quotient Whimsy was light-hearted but true. We look to the past for geniuses and seize their knowledge (Noah, David, Solomon, Jesus, Paul, Sr. Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur) and we take it to heart. These men loved the Lord and served him with honor, distinction, and brilliance. So, our very survival is dependent on the vast volume of information we have at our fingertips. Some of which was provided by great geniuses of history. Cherish what we have, and the day we’re living in because we can still do amazing things.
Reference
Woodley, M.A., J. te Nijenhuis, R. Murphy. Were the Victorians cleverer than us? The decline in general intelligence from a meta-analysis of the slowing of simple reaction time. Intelligence. Published May 7, 2013 online before print, accessed May 21, 2013.
Brian Thomas, M.S.. (6/5/13). People Not Quite as Clever Anymore . In Institute for Creation Research. Retrieved 7/5/13, from http://www.icr.org/article/7527/.
T. M. Walsh, T.A. Volsko. (10/2008). Readability assessment of internet-based consumer health information. In PubMed.gov. Retrieved 7/5/13, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18811992
Emmeline Zhao. (3/23/12). American High School Students Are Reading Books At 5th-Grade-Appropriate Levels: Report. In Huffington Post. Retrieved 7/5/13, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/top-reading_n_1373680.html.
